


Snow Angels

by thesalukihusker



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 06:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21031466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesalukihusker/pseuds/thesalukihusker
Summary: Winter comes early.





	Snow Angels

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: we had snow flurries here last week (no joke), and everyone was reminded that winter in the Midwest can start ridiculously early. So... here's some early winter in Hawkins. As always, I don't own Jancy, I just ship them.

It's really early. And  _ really _ cold.

Jonathan scrapes the shovel along the driveway again, moving ten inches of snow that's fallen since yesterday afternoon. It was an early surprise: winter arrived in Hawkins in mid-November. At first, the snow was beautiful, a fresh white blanket on everything. But overnight, the wind picked up out of the north, and the snow was heavy.

It's 5:30 a.m., and Jonathan is shoveling snow in the cold darkness.  _ At least we don't have school today,  _ he thinks, as he adds to the hill of snow in the front yard. Lore has it that the day of the first snow that's deep enough to track a rabbit in is how many snows you'll have that winter.  _ Lovely _ , Jonathan grumbles.  _ We're screwed. _

It's been a week-and-a-half since they returned home from the cabin. Will is improving every day, and Joyce is back to work. There's grocery shopping to be done, and doctor appointments to go to. It's still snowing, and Jonathan knows he'll be back out here in a few hours shoveling again. But at least they'll be able to get out. 

A snow plow rattles by as Jonathan finishes the driveway. 6:15 a.m.  _ Time to make breakfast.  _ Joyce will be up soon. He leans the shovel against the house, taking his hat and boots off as he goes inside. Quiet mornings aren't as pleasant as they used to be.

###

Jonathan's making lunch when the phone rings. Will answers, and it's Mike, calling to get everyone together for a snow day edition of D&D. These daylong sessions usually only happen on the weekend. 

"We'll be over after lunch," Will tells him. Getting anywhere on snowy roads takes twice as long. But it means that life is returning to normal, so they'll make the trip.

_ Wait,  _ Jonathan tells Will, who's about to hang up.  _ Ask him to put Nancy on the phone.  _ He does, and they make their usual small talk.  _ Nice to have a day off during the week, huh?  _ Conversations with her are easy, if they're about the Lab, or Chemistry class, or what crazy thing their brothers did. But talking about this new relationship is new and different. He's still trying to find the right words.

Jonathan says something that he thinks Will can't hear, and hangs up the phone.  _ Ok. Lunch. _ He smiles at Will, who rolls his eyes and laughs.

Half an hour later, their grilled cheese and tomato soup eaten, they're heading out in to the cold. It's snowing again.

### 

Nancy is putting mascara on when she hears Jonathan and Will arrive. They're going to an afternoon movie, if the roads aren't too bad. She makes a disgusted face at the snow that's falling again.  _ It's November. Does it have to be doing this already? _

There's a knock at her bedroom door, and she tells whoever is on the other side that it's open. It's Jonathan, who has bad news. "The roads are getting slippery again." 

_ Of course they are,  _ Nancy thinks.  _ Because nothing can ever go as planned.  _ She sits on her bed next to Jonathan, who looks unsure of what to do next. "Well," she tells him, "we can cancel and try again this weekend, or we can stay here and watch movies instead. Maybe not as fun, but safer."

And then they're in the Wheelers' living room, mugs of hot cocoa in their hands. Nancy's picked three movies. The opening credits roll on  _ Return of the Jedi  _ as they settle in.

###

The phone rings as  _ A Christmas Story  _ ends ( _ A Christmas movie, really?,  _ Jonathan tells her, but it's Nancy's new favorite). It's Joyce on the phone, and she tells the boys to stay put. Jonathan arranges for he and Will to spend the night. 

Everyone stays for dinner, but the boys are distracted. They want to have a snowball fight. They're running out the back door before Karen can tell them to  _ bundle up, put your hats and gloves on.  _

Nancy looks toward the still-open door, and then walks to the coat closet in the hallway. She hands Jonathan his coat and puts her own on.  _ How long has it been since you played in the snow?,  _ she asks him. 

A snowball fight is fully underway as they walk to the back door. Mike drops to the ground, pretending he's been hit. He starts making snow angels as the rest of the boys pelt him with snowballs. Nancy opens the door - and immediately changes her mind. The wind is picking up again. "Yeah, no. I'm not going out there." Jonathan laughs when he sees the look on her face, certain it's the same look he had early that morning while shoveling. He didn't really want to go out there either.

They put their coats back in the closet and return to the living room. There's one more movie to watch. Nancy laughs at Jonathan's fake yawn-and-stretch when he puts his arm around her. 

###

It's 5:30 a.m. again, and Jonathan grumbles as he brushes snow off his car. There's no school again today, but he and Will need to go home for a little while. Jonathan protested when Nancy came downstairs, hat and snow boots on, to help him clean off his car. 

Will's fallen back to sleep in the passenger seat. Jonathan puts the snow brush back in the trunk, hands in his pockets.  _ Why is it so cold already?  _

"I'll be over later with Mike," Nancy tells him. "He wants to spend the night." Jonathan opens the car door, but turns around when Nancy is standing next to him. Her face is red from the cold, her hair falling out of her winter hat.  _ She's beautiful.  _ Nancy puts her hands on his arms and gives him a quick kiss. "I'll see you later."

Jonathan laughs as Nancy hurries back in to the house. He hopes she'll stay the night, too.


End file.
